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Will Lankshear sees Tottenham dream turn into nightmare as miserable Spurs are given a night to forget

Pabio November 8, 2024

Tottenham’s 100% Europa League record ended in a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray in Istanbul, with a red card for the visitors’ goalscorer Will Lankshear.

Lankshear received a second yellow card on the hour mark, but the hosts were tired and substitute Dominic Solanke set up a nervy finale with a superb finish.

Standard sport reviews three discussion points from dramatic play.

Miserable Spurs can quickly forget a night off

It was probably as cowardly a performance as Spurs have produced under Ange Postecoglou and they were, frankly, lucky not to lose by six or seven goals against a Galatasaray side who dominated for 70 minutes before ‘incline.

Osimhen alone had enough chances to score at least five times, while he and Mauro Icardi both had their efforts ruled out for offside.

In a sense, it was an opportunity to fuel criticism of Postecoglou, as all of the head coach’s ‘non-negotiables’, notably his demand that Spurs play out from the back, looked like weaknesses.

Glenn Hoddle, co-communicating for TNT Sports, has repeatedly criticized his former club’s high-risk approach, to the point where he sounded like a broken record.

And yet a patched-up Spurs side, who played the final half hour with ten men, showed character and could easily have secured a draw after a late rally, as they remain in a strong position in the Europa League after his victories. in their first three matches.

Losing any game, especially so carelessly, will worry Postecoglou, but the upshot of the revamped European calendar is that clubs can afford nights like this.

Spurs are probably still one win away from securing at least a play-off place, and they are only halfway through their group stage, with four games still to play.

Given the high number of injury absences, Postecoglou may reflect that this was an understandable failure on the part of his young team and quickly put it aside, with Ipswich the visitors to north London on Sunday .

Spurs fringe players struggle in cauldron atmosphere

The Spurs finished the game looking the likeliest to score, but their surprising 10-man rally came after Postecoglou called a series of heavy hitters off the bench.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski were introduced for Brennan Johnson and Heung-min Son at the break, with Spurs’ only in-form wingers retained for Sunday, while Pape Matar Sarr and Dominic Solanke also impressed as substitutes.

Spurs have been caught time and time again in Istanbul

REUTERS

Several Spurs starters have been hugely disappointing, however, including Radu Dragusin and Lucas Bergavll, neither of whom have given any indication that they are close to pushing for a place in Postecoglou’s best XI.

Bergvall, meanwhile, looked lost in midfield, giving the ball away on several occasions in the first half – although he was far from alone in that regard.

You wonder if both men have particularly struggled to deal with the fierce atmosphere in Istanbul or if they are simply struggling to establish a rhythm given their lack of consistent playing time this season.

Regardless, Postecoglou’s fringe players struggled, albeit in difficult circumstances, as the Spurs team began to feel the pressure of absent stars and a busy schedule.

Will Lankshear’s dreams turn into a nightmare

For Lankshear, a night that began with a dream goal – his first in senior football – ended with a harsh lesson after he was sent off on the hour mark for a second bookable offence.

The 19-year-old striker, who made his full debut against Ferencvaros in this competition last month, produced the simplest finish after Johnson selflessly faced Archie Gray’s exceptional diagonal.

He had another chance in the second half, pivoting in the box before sending a low shot too close to the keeper, but soon after he was guilty of a moment of naivety.

After gaining possession of the ball, Lankshear chased down Gabriel Sara and kicked the Brazilian’s ankles near the touchline, leaving the referee with a relatively easy decision.

Spurs actually improved after the sending off, but they might have had a better chance of equalizing via smash-and-grab with 11 men on the pitch.

Perhaps most frustrating for Lankshear is that he will now be suspended for the home game against AS Roma at the end of the month, depriving him of the opportunity to continue his goal.

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Will Lankshear sees Tottenham dream turn into nightmare as miserable Spurs are given a night to forget

Miserable Spurs can quickly forget a night off

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Will Lankshear sees Tottenham dream turn into nightmare as miserable Spurs are given a night to forget

Miserable Spurs can quickly forget a night off

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